World War II Chronicle: January 8, 1942
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On the front page of today’s newspaper: Maj. Gen. Robert L. Eichelberger is being reassigned from his post as Superintendent of the United States Military Academy, to command the 77th Division at Fort Jackson, S.C.. Eichelberger fought in the Siberian Intervention, where he earned a Distinguished Service Cross. During Command and General Staff College, he sat next to Maj. Dwight Eisenhower (who finished top in his class) and Eichelberger later worked for Gen. MacArthur when he was Chief of Staff of the U.S. Army. Eichelberger rises from commanding a division to a corps, ultimately leading the Eighth Army in the Southwest Pacific.
Also on the front page, America First Committee chairman (Robert E. Wood) is joining the war effort. Wood served in the Philippines and helped construct the Panama Canal before serving alongside Col. Douglas MacArthur in the 42nd Division during World War I. Wood was picked to oversee all transportation for the American Expeditionary Force before moving up to Quartermaster General. Prior to the second world war he served as chairman for Sears Roebuck… America First dissolved itself after the attack on Pearl Harbor, and spokesman Charles Lindbergh is working to secure a spot in the war effort as well. Having made an enemy with President Roosevelt, it will be an uphill battle…
Former professional wrestler Frank “Mountain Man Dean” Leavitt is enlisting in the Army (page 3). This will also be his second global conflict, having served as a soldier in the Punitive Expedition into Mexico and in France during World War I. Leavitt will ultimately become the first sergeant for the Military Intelligence Training Center. Inducted into the Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2021, he also played professional football for the New York Brickley Giants during the 1921 season, which was when the National Football League was known as the American Professional Football Association… Sports section begins on page 44
Evening star. (Washington, D.C.), 8 January 1942. Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers. Lib. of Congress.
https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn83045462/1942-01-08/ed-1/